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Age-related macular degeneration<\/div>
The Optometrists' Role<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Age-related macular degeneration<\/div>
The Optometrist's Role<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tThe Optometrist's Role<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
The Optometrist's Role<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOptometrists can detect the early signs of macular degeneration at your regular eye examination, often before symptoms occur. Usually, this is accomplished through a retinal exam or <\/span>OCT eye scan.<\/span><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Age-related<\/span>\u00a0macula degeneration (ARMD or AMD) is when the delicate cells of the macula become damaged and stop working. We do not know why this is, although it tends to happen as people get older. Macular degeneration usually involves both eyes, although they may not be affected at the same time or to the same extent.
<\/span><\/h6>AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among the over 65 population in the UK. Because people in this group are an increasingly larger percentage of the general population, vision loss from macular degeneration is a rapidly growing problem.
<\/span><\/h6>Sometimes children and young people can also suffer from an inherited form of macular degeneration called macular dystrophy. Sometimes several members of a family will suffer from this, and if this is the case it is very important that you have your eyes checked at regular intervals.<\/h6>What are Wet and Dry macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either \u2018dry\u2019 (non-neovascular) or \u2018wet\u2019 (neovascular).\u00a0The dry form is more common than the wet form, with about 85<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0to 90<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0of AMD patients diagnosed with dry AMD. The wet form of the disease usually leads to more serious vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration (non-vascular).\u00a0<\/span>Dry AMD is considered an early stage of the disease and may result from the ageing and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration is diagnosed when yellowish spots known as drusen begin to accumulate in and around the macula. It is believed these spots are deposits or debris from deteriorating tissue.
<\/span><\/h6>Gradual central vision loss may occur with dry macular degeneration but usually, it is not nearly as severe as wet AMD symptoms. However, dry AMD through a period of years slowly can progress to late-stage geographic atrophy (GA) \u2014 gradual degradation of retinal cells that also can cause severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration (neovascular).<\/span> In about 20% of cases of dry AMD, the disease progresses to the more advanced and damaging \u2018wet\u2019 form. In wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which die off and create blind spots in the eye\u2019s central vision.
<\/span><\/h6>Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1). ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pwoptometrists.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/amslerfig1-150x150.png\")
![\"\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pwoptometrists.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/amslerfig2-150x150.png\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOptometrists can detect the early signs of macular degeneration at your regular eye examination, often before symptoms occur. Usually, this is accomplished through a retinal exam or <\/span>OCT eye scan.<\/span><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Optometrists can detect the early signs of macular degeneration at your regular eye examination, often before symptoms occur. Usually, this is accomplished through a retinal exam or <\/span>OCT eye scan.<\/span><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Age-related<\/span>\u00a0macula degeneration (ARMD or AMD) is when the delicate cells of the macula become damaged and stop working. We do not know why this is, although it tends to happen as people get older. Macular degeneration usually involves both eyes, although they may not be affected at the same time or to the same extent.
<\/span><\/h6>AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among the over 65 population in the UK. Because people in this group are an increasingly larger percentage of the general population, vision loss from macular degeneration is a rapidly growing problem.
<\/span><\/h6>Sometimes children and young people can also suffer from an inherited form of macular degeneration called macular dystrophy. Sometimes several members of a family will suffer from this, and if this is the case it is very important that you have your eyes checked at regular intervals.<\/h6>What are Wet and Dry macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either \u2018dry\u2019 (non-neovascular) or \u2018wet\u2019 (neovascular).\u00a0The dry form is more common than the wet form, with about 85<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0to 90<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0of AMD patients diagnosed with dry AMD. The wet form of the disease usually leads to more serious vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration (non-vascular).\u00a0<\/span>Dry AMD is considered an early stage of the disease and may result from the ageing and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration is diagnosed when yellowish spots known as drusen begin to accumulate in and around the macula. It is believed these spots are deposits or debris from deteriorating tissue.
<\/span><\/h6>Gradual central vision loss may occur with dry macular degeneration but usually, it is not nearly as severe as wet AMD symptoms. However, dry AMD through a period of years slowly can progress to late-stage geographic atrophy (GA) \u2014 gradual degradation of retinal cells that also can cause severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration (neovascular).<\/span> In about 20% of cases of dry AMD, the disease progresses to the more advanced and damaging \u2018wet\u2019 form. In wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which die off and create blind spots in the eye\u2019s central vision.
<\/span><\/h6>Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>
What is age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Age-related<\/span>\u00a0macula degeneration (ARMD or AMD) is when the delicate cells of the macula become damaged and stop working. We do not know why this is, although it tends to happen as people get older. Macular degeneration usually involves both eyes, although they may not be affected at the same time or to the same extent.
<\/span><\/h6>AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among the over 65 population in the UK. Because people in this group are an increasingly larger percentage of the general population, vision loss from macular degeneration is a rapidly growing problem.
<\/span><\/h6>Sometimes children and young people can also suffer from an inherited form of macular degeneration called macular dystrophy. Sometimes several members of a family will suffer from this, and if this is the case it is very important that you have your eyes checked at regular intervals.<\/h6>What are Wet and Dry macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either \u2018dry\u2019 (non-neovascular) or \u2018wet\u2019 (neovascular).\u00a0The dry form is more common than the wet form, with about 85<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0to 90<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0of AMD patients diagnosed with dry AMD. The wet form of the disease usually leads to more serious vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration (non-vascular).\u00a0<\/span>Dry AMD is considered an early stage of the disease and may result from the ageing and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration is diagnosed when yellowish spots known as drusen begin to accumulate in and around the macula. It is believed these spots are deposits or debris from deteriorating tissue.
<\/span><\/h6>Gradual central vision loss may occur with dry macular degeneration but usually, it is not nearly as severe as wet AMD symptoms. However, dry AMD through a period of years slowly can progress to late-stage geographic atrophy (GA) \u2014 gradual degradation of retinal cells that also can cause severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration (neovascular).<\/span> In about 20% of cases of dry AMD, the disease progresses to the more advanced and damaging \u2018wet\u2019 form. In wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which die off and create blind spots in the eye\u2019s central vision.
<\/span><\/h6>Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).
<\/span><\/h6>
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among the over 65 population in the UK. Because people in this group are an increasingly larger percentage of the general population, vision loss from macular degeneration is a rapidly growing problem.
<\/span><\/h6>Sometimes children and young people can also suffer from an inherited form of macular degeneration called macular dystrophy. Sometimes several members of a family will suffer from this, and if this is the case it is very important that you have your eyes checked at regular intervals.<\/h6>What are Wet and Dry macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either \u2018dry\u2019 (non-neovascular) or \u2018wet\u2019 (neovascular).\u00a0The dry form is more common than the wet form, with about 85<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0to 90<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0of AMD patients diagnosed with dry AMD. The wet form of the disease usually leads to more serious vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration (non-vascular).\u00a0<\/span>Dry AMD is considered an early stage of the disease and may result from the ageing and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration is diagnosed when yellowish spots known as drusen begin to accumulate in and around the macula. It is believed these spots are deposits or debris from deteriorating tissue.
<\/span><\/h6>Gradual central vision loss may occur with dry macular degeneration but usually, it is not nearly as severe as wet AMD symptoms. However, dry AMD through a period of years slowly can progress to late-stage geographic atrophy (GA) \u2014 gradual degradation of retinal cells that also can cause severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration (neovascular).<\/span> In about 20% of cases of dry AMD, the disease progresses to the more advanced and damaging \u2018wet\u2019 form. In wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which die off and create blind spots in the eye\u2019s central vision.
<\/span><\/h6>Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).
What are Wet and Dry macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either \u2018dry\u2019 (non-neovascular) or \u2018wet\u2019 (neovascular).\u00a0The dry form is more common than the wet form, with about 85<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0to 90<\/span>\uff05<\/span>\u00a0of AMD patients diagnosed with dry AMD. The wet form of the disease usually leads to more serious vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration (non-vascular).\u00a0<\/span>Dry AMD is considered an early stage of the disease and may result from the ageing and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration is diagnosed when yellowish spots known as drusen begin to accumulate in and around the macula. It is believed these spots are deposits or debris from deteriorating tissue.
<\/span><\/h6>Gradual central vision loss may occur with dry macular degeneration but usually, it is not nearly as severe as wet AMD symptoms. However, dry AMD through a period of years slowly can progress to late-stage geographic atrophy (GA) \u2014 gradual degradation of retinal cells that also can cause severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration (neovascular).<\/span> In about 20% of cases of dry AMD, the disease progresses to the more advanced and damaging \u2018wet\u2019 form. In wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which die off and create blind spots in the eye\u2019s central vision.
<\/span><\/h6>Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).
<\/span><\/h6>
Dry macular degeneration (non-vascular).\u00a0<\/span>Dry AMD is considered an early stage of the disease and may result from the ageing and thinning of macular tissues, depositing of pigment in the macula or a combination of the two processes.
<\/span><\/h6>Dry macular degeneration is diagnosed when yellowish spots known as drusen begin to accumulate in and around the macula. It is believed these spots are deposits or debris from deteriorating tissue.
<\/span><\/h6>Gradual central vision loss may occur with dry macular degeneration but usually, it is not nearly as severe as wet AMD symptoms. However, dry AMD through a period of years slowly can progress to late-stage geographic atrophy (GA) \u2014 gradual degradation of retinal cells that also can cause severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration (neovascular).<\/span> In about 20% of cases of dry AMD, the disease progresses to the more advanced and damaging \u2018wet\u2019 form. In wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which die off and create blind spots in the eye\u2019s central vision.
<\/span><\/h6>Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).
<\/span><\/h6>
Gradual central vision loss may occur with dry macular degeneration but usually, it is not nearly as severe as wet AMD symptoms. However, dry AMD through a period of years slowly can progress to late-stage geographic atrophy (GA) \u2014 gradual degradation of retinal cells that also can cause severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration (neovascular).<\/span> In about 20% of cases of dry AMD, the disease progresses to the more advanced and damaging \u2018wet\u2019 form. In wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which die off and create blind spots in the eye\u2019s central vision.
<\/span><\/h6>Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).
<\/span><\/h6>
Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), the underlying process causing wet AMD and abnormal blood vessel growth, is the body’s misguided way of attempting to create a new network of blood vessels to supply more nutrients and oxygen to the eye’s retina. Instead, the process creates scarring, leading to sometimes severe central vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>Wet macular degeneration falls into 2 categories:<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).
<\/span><\/h6>
Occult.<\/span>\u00a0New blood vessel growth beneath the retina is not as pronounced, and leakage is less evident in the occult CNV form of wet macular degeneration, which typically produces less severe vision loss.
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Classic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When blood vessel growth and scarring have very clear, delineated outlines observed beneath the retina, this type of wet AMD is known as classic CNV, usually producing more severe vision loss.<\/span><\/h6>
What is Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)?<\/strong><\/h6>
Optical Coherence Tomography is fast becoming the diagnostic method of choice in busy NHS macular degeneration clinics due to its quick, non-invasive and entirely painless process. For further details see\u00a03D OCT eye scan<\/span>.<\/span><\/h6>
What is fluorescein angiography?<\/strong><\/h6>
In some cases, your eye specialist may decide that a fluorescein angiogram will be needed. You will visit your local hospital eye clinic for this examination. These photographs give an accurate map of the changes occurring in the blood circulation of the macula and help your eye specialist to decide what is the best treatment for you. For the angiogram, you will be given a small injection of special dye in your arm which then works its way around the circulation of your eyes. This is not painful but you may feel a bit sick afterwards. A series of rapid pictures of your retina are then taken with blue light over the next few minutes. There are few side effects, although some people find that they are dazzled for a while afterwards. You may also notice that the injection has left your skin with a faint yellow tinge from the fluorescein dye but this soon passes as it is excreted in your urine.<\/h6>
Who gets age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong>
<\/span><\/h6>Besides affecting older populations, AMD occurs in Caucasians and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it seems to run in families.
<\/span><\/h6>New evidence strongly suggests smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with AMD, high blood pressure, lighter eye colour and obesity.
<\/span><\/h6>Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in the development of macular degeneration, but this theory has not been proven conclusively. High levels of dietary fat also may be a risk factor for developing AMD.
<\/span><\/h6>The only risk factors consistently found in studies to be associated with eye disease are ageing and smoking.
<\/span><\/h6>Commonly named risk factors for developing macular degeneration include:
<\/span><\/h6>Ageing.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Significant vision loss accompanying more advanced forms of AMD increases from fewer than 1 per cent among people in their 60s to more than 15 per cent among people in their 90s, according to the <\/span>Canadian Medical Association Journal<\/span>\u00a0(February 2004).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li>Smoking.<\/b><\/span> Smoking is a major AMD risk factor and was found in one British study to be directly associated with about 25 per cent of AMD cases causing severe vision loss. The\u00a0<\/span>British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/span> in early 2006 also reported study findings showing that people living with a smoker double their risk of developing AMD.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>
Obesity & Inactivity<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Overweight patients with macular degeneration had more than double the risk of developing advanced forms of macular degeneration compared with people of normal body weight, according to one study reported in\u00a0<\/span>Archives of Ophthalmology<\/span> (June 2003). In the same study, those who performed vigorous activity at least three times weekly reduced their risk of developing advanced AMD, compared with inactive patients<\/span><\/h6><\/li>
Heredity.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As stated above, recent studies have found that specific variants of different genes are present in most people who have macular degeneration. Studies of fraternal and identical twins may also demonstrate that heredity is a factor in who develops AMD and how severe it becomes.<\/span><\/h6><\/li>
High Blood Pressure<\/b> (Hypertension).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science<\/span> reported the results of a European study demonstrating that high blood pressure may be associated with the development of macular degeneration (September 2003).<\/span><\/h6><\/li>
Lighter Eye Colour.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Because macular degeneration long has been thought to occur more often among Caucasian populations, particularly in people with light skin colour and eye colour, some researchers theorised that the extra pigment found in darker eyes was a protective factor against the development of the eye disease during sun exposure. But no conclusive evidence as yet has linked excessive sun exposure to development of AMD. <\/span><\/h6><\/li>
Drug Side Effects<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>Some cases of macular degeneration can be induced from side effects of toxic drugs such as chloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) or phenothiazine. Phenothiazine is a class of antipsychotic drugs, including brand names of Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which also is used to treat nausea, vomiting and persistent hiccups), Mellaril (thioridazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Stelazine (trifluoperazine) and Stemitil (prochlorperazine).
<\/span><\/h6><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\u00a0<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>
In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with things looking an unusual size or shape. This may happen quickly or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. Occasionally this may cause some visual discomfort. The macula enables you to see fine detail and people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes activities like reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.<\/h6>
What is the macula?<\/strong><\/h6>
Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (the pupil) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into focus on the retina at the back of your eye. The retina is made up of a delicate tissue that is sensitive to light, rather like the film in a camera.<\/h6>
The macula is found at the centre of the retina where the incoming rays of light are focused and is the part of the retina responsible for the sharp, central vision needed to read or drive. The macula is very important and is responsible for:<\/h6>
what we see straight in front of us.<\/h6><\/li>
the vision needed for detailed activities such as reading and writing.<\/h6><\/li>
our ability to appreciate colours.<\/h6>
What should I do if I think I have age-related macular degeneration?<\/strong><\/h6>
If you suspect that you may have macular degeneration symptoms you should consult an optometrist (ophthalmic optician)\u00a0
promptly who, if necessary, will refer you to an eye specialist. If macular degeneration has already been diagnosed in one of your eyes, and your other eye starts to get symptoms, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or your local casualty department, as soon as possible.<\/h6>\u00a0<\/h6>
Viewing a chart of black lines arranged in a graph pattern (Amsler grid) is one way to tell if you are having these vision problems. See how an Amsler grid works by taking a\u00a0<\/span>macular degeneration test.<\/span>
<\/span><\/h6>An Amsler grid consists of straight lines, with a reference dot in the centre (see Fig1).